COACH MAN 'EVADED RESPONSIBILITIES' LOSES TWO OUT OF FOUR
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COACH proprietor, Mr. Gordon Fussell, had "completely evaded his responsibilities" and had been merely content to "run his vehicles into the ground", commented Mr. R. Jackson, chairman of the South Wales Traffic Commissioners last week. The Commissioners ordered that two of the four coaches which Mr. Fussell now runs (trading as Gordon Fussell and Sons, of Fforestfach) should be suspended for three months. At the end of that period the entire fleet will have to be reinspected.
Addressing Mr. Fussell, the chairman said: "We have heard a very bad case and our initial reaction was to take some very severe measures. But in view of the very ardent plea made by Mr. Rosser John and what has been said on your behalf by Mr. Chard, we are not going to deal with you as severely as I personally would possibly like to do. You have been a considerable embarrassment to the Commissioners and me owing to your father's position with the Ministry of Transport, but we have tried not to let that colour our decision today."
All Defective Mr. J. H. Chard, clerk to the Commissioners, said that after one of Mr. Fussell's fleet of vehicles—which at the time was not covered by a current p.s.v. licence—had been involved in an accident on March 31 last at Dunvant Square, Swansea, when carrying schoolchildren, his other six buses were inspected and all were found to have defects, varying in number from 10 to 36.
Following an inspection by Mr. E. E. Slumper. senior vehicle examiner for the South Wales area, immediate notices of suspension were issued in respect of three vehicles, there were two delayed notices to become operative in 48 hours if certain defects were not remedied and, in one case, a defect report was drawn up indicating that certain items required attention.
Mr. Slumper told the Commissioners that he inspected the vehicles on April 13-15. In his opinion, the state of one bus only two years old indicated that it had been "completely neglected". There was no pit at Mr. Fussell's garage, although there was now one in course of construction. There was no compressor there and "little equipment of any sort-. Welding equipment had been purchased. but there were still no power tools at the garage apart from a power-piston. Mr. Fussell employed two fitters, but the available facilities had to be shared with his car-hire business.
There had been no system of preventive maintenance in operation at the time of his inspection, said Mr. Slumper, and he considered that "an acceptable standard of maintenance cannot be attained in existing conditions".
Fitter's Work Cross-examined, Mr. Slumper agreed that no mechanical defects had been found on the bus involved in the accident, and that many of the defects he had discovered could have been remedied by a fitter with a screwdriver and spanner.
Mr. Fussell told the Commissioners that the bus involved in the accident had been taken out in error by a part-time driver. He had now bought one new vehicle at a cost of £5,000 and another second-hand one at around £1,000. He had also entered into an agreement to rent premises for use as a garage at Pontardawe. At present he was running only four coaches.
Mr. Rosser John, who appeared for Mr. Fussell, commented: "I am not going to suggest anything but that a very serious state of affairs was revealed when this examination was made. But the footbrakes were in good order, which is the big thing. These could not be described at all as "killer" vehicles. Mr. Fussell has now replaced two of his old vehicles, and those he is operating have undergone a most vigorous inspection. It has been brought home to this man that he has to mend his ways. He is a man who truly repents for what he has done."
Mr. Chard said that the travelling public looked to the Commissioners to see that the vehicles in which they travelled were perfectly safe. But Mr. Fussell had suffered heavy financial loss as a result of the revocation of three of his coaches, and perhaps he should be given the opportunity to "continue to prove that what he has said here this morning really means something".